Variable-escapement mechanism.



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"' Hui 56 I e P j I: i [y i 3 J6 6 g :1? 16 I I 1.5" 1 2 isiis 15'" 'J if ZU Z Wsse-S) I Ina/ 0220a 0. THIEME. VARIABLE ESCAPEMENT MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1913.

1, 178, 1 l2. Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

O. THIEME. VARIABLE ESCAPEMENT MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12. 1913.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 8 V 7 mm 0% 1 e 1 0 s s N nmmmmonmpa o'rro THIEME, on T. LoUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO MOON-HOPKINS BILLING MACHINE COMPANY, on ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION or MIsSoonI.

VARIABLE-ESCAPEMENT MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Original application filed .l'uly 11, 1912, Serial No. 708.859. Divided and thisapplication filed March 12,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,-O'1"ro THmME, acitizen of the United States. residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Variable-Escapement Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de- ,scription, such as will enable others skilled in the art-to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which i Figure 1 is a front elevational view of my improved mechanism showing it applied to one form of calculating machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1, certain parts having been removed. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the pallets which cotiperate with the escapement teeth. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the fixed pallet. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the key operated stops which regulate the throw of the escapement mechanism.

My improvement relates particularly to key operated machines, and specifically to a form of escapement mechanism particularly adapted to use on combined calculating and writing machines, commonly known as billing machines.

The principal object of provide a simple and efficient escapement mechanism for the laterally movable carriages of key operated machines, and one which is not susceptible to overthrow or displacement.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby the laterally movable carriage may be stepped leftwardly two or more spaces simply by the operation of a t0csingle key, and without the use of'stops positioned independently anticipatory to the operation of such key.

Another object of my invention is to provide in such a mechanisma plurality of keys each of which is adapted to letter-space the carriage to a different extent.

Other and further objects of my invention .will be pointed out in the description, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawings, or will beobvious from inspection thereof.

This applicatipn is a division of my oomy invention is to- 1913. Serial No. 753,804.

pending application filed in the United States Patent Office July 11,1912, Serial Number 708,859.

In the accompanying drawin s, I have shown my invention applied to t e form of calculating machine such as is disclosed in Belgian Patent No. 20,281, dated August 21, 1907, and adapted to regulate the lateral movement of the laterally movable pin carriage which constitutes a portion of the calculating mechanism described in the aforesaid patent. It is obvious, however, that this is but one of the many possible applications of my invention, and that it may with equal facility be adapted "to regulate the letter-spacing movemnt'of the paper carriage of a writing machine, or any similar laterally movable portion of such ma carried track bars 58 upon which the carriage 4 is mounted to travel on the roller bearings 57,. As describedin said patent, there is a spring, not shown in the accompanying drawings, for drawingthe carriage 57 leftwardly when it is releasedby operation of the escapementmechanism. Bars 56 coiiperate with the carriage 57, and are operable by key levers 2, and these parts are adapted, to effect upon elements carried by the carriage 57 operations which require each a single leftward step of the carriage. Bar 56' is operable by key lever '15 and is adapted to effect upon elements carried by the carriage 57 operations requiring a letterspacing movement of the carriage of a single step. Bar 56" is operable by key lever 15" and is adapted to effect upon elements carried by the carriage 57 an operation requiring letter-spacing movement of said carable by key lever 15" and is adapted to effect upon elements carried by the carriage 'riage equal to two steps. Bar 56" is opersteps. Key bars 15", 15' and 15 are operable by multiple space keys 02, 03 and 1. The carriage 57 carries a rack 78 which has the teeth 4: corresponding to the letter-- space steps of the ,carriage.

its slotted pivotalmounting on track bar 58.

Bar 6 is drawn downwardly by a spring 12, and is provided at its lower extremity with a foot portion'6 which extends cross key levers 2, 15', 15', 15? and 15", and acts as a universal bar which is engaged by any i of the key levers when a key is pressed down. By such an operation of any of the key levers, bar 6 is raised so as to bring fixed pallet 5, which normally lies out of engagement with the rack 78, into engagement with said rack, whereby to hold carriage 57 against lateral displacement under influence of the carriage spring.

The means for controlling the variable or differential spacing of the carriage leftwardly consists of a lever 16 pivoted on a suitable bracket secured to the base of the machine and having one end lying over the rear ends of bars 15", 15 and 15. This lever is notched at the upper edge of that portion which extends over the bars; mentioned, for the purpose of differentially engaging stop plates 17 and 18 which are pivit will move the lever 16 to the full limit of.

otally mounted at their lower ends to bracket extensions secured to the base 1, and which are provided at their upper ends with movable escapement pallet 7 in engagement with teeth of rack 78 either two, three, or four spaces to the right. Upon a pin 9 carried by lever 8 is pivoted a ratchet toothed lever 23 which carries a pin 23 at its opposite or left hand end. A spring 10 engages the pin 23 and a stationary portion of the machine, tending to swing ratchet toothed member 23 downwardly. The upper end of bar 6, as shown in Fig. 4, is'provided with ratchet teeth 6*- which cooperate I with the ratchet teeth on the lower edge of the upper end of bar 6, and the cooperating teeth on said lever and bar operating to prevent lever 8 being retracted. The means for moving lever 8 longitudinally to position pallet 7 differentially comprises the lever 16, bell crank 21 and link 22, said parts being'operated to their fullest extent by operation of key lever 15" which engages lever -16 nearest its pivot, to its minimum extent by lever 15" which engages at its end farthest from its pivot, and to intermediate extents by key lever 15", the exforwardly projecting portions 18 (see Fig.

2) which are designed to be moved over the notched end of-lever 16. The plates 17 and 18 are rocked bymeans of lateral pins 19, one carried upon each of key bars 15" and 15', and each of which pins operates in a slot in one of plates 17 and 18. By virtue of this arrangement, when these two key bars are operated, the-plate 17. of the plate 18 will be rocked forwardly over the end of lever 16 to arrest said lever in its intended position. No stops are operated by the keys 15 or 15"" to arrest the lever 16 in its predetermined position, for the reason that when bar 15' is operated, it is unnecessary to rock lever 16, and when bar 4 is operated,

its movement beyond which it and its associating parts cannot be moved. Lever 16 is connected by a link 20 to the bell crank 21, the upwardly extending arm of which is pivotally connected by a link 22 to the end of lever 8 which carries the movable escapement'pallet 7. Lever 8, as heretofore described. is movable longitudinally toward the right a distance suflicientto place the tent of its movement by these last two levers being regulated by the plates 17 and 18.

The operation of the parts abovedescribed is as follows: Upon the initial operation of any one of the multiple space key levers 15", 15' or 157", the bar 56", 56" or 56" corresponding with said key lever is operated to efl'ect upon the elements carried-by carriage 57 its intended operation.

Simultaneously bar 6 is raised to place the fixed pallet 5 in engagement with rack 78 whereby to hold the carriage against lateral movement. At the end ofjits upward movement, bar 6 raises pallet 7 out of engagement with the rack 7 8. When this point in the operation is reached, lever 16 is rocked so as to operate bell crank 21 and through the link connection 22 to draw the lever 8 toward the right a distance of two,

three or four teeth depending upon the extent to which lever 16 is .rocked by the key lever operating. When the depressed key lever is released and is returning to normal position, vibrating pawl 7 will first be lowered into engagement with the tooth to which it has been positioned, by the lowering of; bar 6. Stationary pawl 5 will then be disengaged from the rack 7 8,and carriage 57 will he moved to the left" under the influence of its spring. until the end of the duce a letter-spacing movement of threev steps; and the operation of key lever which is operable by multiple space key 04, will produce a letter-spacing movement of the carriage to the extent of four steps.

As vibrating pawl 7 is positioned to the left of stationar pawl 5 a fraction less than a tooth space 0 rack 78, the raising of bar 6 and without the operation of lever 16 will operate simply to raise-pawl 5 into engagement with rack 78 and pawl 7 out of engagement therewith, whereby a slight movement of the carriage is permitted, such movement being sufficient, however, to bring a tooth under pawl 7. The loweringof bar 6 will then disengage pawl 5 from rack 78 and permit the carriage to escape leftwardly until pawl 7 drops in front of the next tooth. In this fashion, the carriage is letter-spaced in single steps, and this single step spacing will be efi'ectedby the opera-' tion of any one of key levers '2 or key lever 15'.

From the foregoing, it will be obvious that my improved escapement mechanism is adapted to letter-space a movable carriage a predetermined unitary distance, or variable distances consisting of multiples of said unitary distance, and that it is adapted to be operated in conjunction with any mechanism which is adapted to effect upon the 4 carriage or an element carried thereby, variable predetermined operatlons which are correlated to the -different degrees of letterspace movement of the carriage.

I am aware that various modifications and adaptations of my invention may beriage and its escapement mechanism, c0mprlsing an escapement rackfcarried by said carriage, a movable pawl capable of being displaced in a direction parallel to the travel of the carriage, key controlled means for determining the distance of displacement of said pawl, a vertically movable bar, a holding dog on said vertically movable bar, and an extension on said vertically movable bar operatively related to said movable pawl to raise said pawl when said vertically movable bar is raised.

2. The combination of a traveling carriage and an escapement controlling the advance movement thereof, said escapement including a rack carried by said carriage, a pawl mounted for movement parallel with the travel of said carriage, said pawl being normally in engagement with the teeth of said rack to prevent the movement of said carriage, a vertically movable bar, a holding dog on said vertically movable bar, means. operatively connecting said vertically movable bar and pawl to disengage said pawl from said rack after said dog is raised into engagement with the teeth of said rack, and means for moving said pawl a predetermined number of rack teeth in the direction opposite to the travel of said carriage, said last mentioned means becoming operative after said pawl has been disengaged from said rack and while said holding dog is in engagement with said rack.

3. The combination of a traveling carriage and an escapement controlling said carriage, said escapement including a rack, a pawl mounted for movement parallel with the travel of said rack, said pawl being normally in engagement with the rack teeth, a holding dog, key operated-means for bringing said holding dog in engagement with the teeth of said rack and thereafter disengaging said pawl from said rack, and devices for moving said pawl a predetermined number of spaces in the direction of travel opposite the step by step feed of said carriage, and a holding member for preventing retraction of said pawl prior to reengagement of said pawl with the rack teeth.

4. The combination of a traveling car-v riage and an escapement mechanism, comprising a rack, a pawl normally in engagement with said rack, the pawl including an arm provided with a slotted opening, a pivot in said slotted opening to enable said pawl to have both oscillatory and longitudinal movement, a holding dog normally disengaged from said rack, a vertically movable bar on which said holding dog is mounted, an extension on said vertically movable bar, a ratchet bar pivoted on said pawl, ratchet teeth on the end of said extension and in engagement with said ratchet bar, key controlled devices for moving said holding dog into engagement with said rack, and thereafter disengaging said pawl from said rack, and means for moving said pawl a predetermined number of rack teeth in a direction opposite to the step by step travel of said rack.

5. In a device of the. character described, a traveling carriage, a rack carried by said traveling carriage, a pawl normally in enmay have a step by step movement greater than one tooth of said rack, and devices for retaining said pawl in its moved position until said pawl is rengaged with the teeth of said rack.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses, 20

this 8th day of March, 1913.

OTTO THIEME.

Witnesses:

M. P. SMITH, M. A. HANDEL. 

